


space

by poetical



Series: oisuga little space [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Aobajousai, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:00:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28792098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poetical/pseuds/poetical
Summary: Aoba Johsai lost . Oikawa lost to Karasuno . To Kageyama . To Shiratorizawa .He cried . He felt lost himself . But Sugawara found him
Relationships: OiSuga - Relationship, Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi
Series: oisuga little space [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149050
Comments: 5
Kudos: 72





	1. dim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh please leave some comments even though this was an impulsive 12 am writing

The whistle blew . The sheet that determines the points flipped . 

Two points .

Aoba Johsai lost to Karasuno by two points . Aoba Johsai lost their chance to play and win against Shiratorizawa by two points . It nearly triggered him Something in him told him to get up from the floor , the floor that the ball landed , the floor that mocked him for not being strong enough . And get up he did . The two teams have already bid their " Thank You " to each other , there was no point staying there.

No point .

Iwaizumi Hajime , the ace of Aoba Johsai , the best friend of Oikawa Tooru , didn't have to look at his best friend to know he needed space . He instead focused on giving the rest of the team a motivational speech in place for his captain . He didn't have to know where Oikawa was going , he just knew that he will be okay in a few days .

He needed time and **space**. 

Oikawa tried to tune out the energy radiating from his opponents . Their smiles , their cheers . Everything positive about them makes him even more upset than he already was . He may sound like an asshole ( he actually might be ) but the little pride he held on for so long just disappear right in his face .

He needed pride to keep him sane . To keep him going . Where did it go then ? How did he end up in the stadium's lonely bathroom ? Did pride led him here ? 

Oikawa was no stranger to crying . He was however , a little unknown to how to react to a full on wailing . He can hear his crying bouncing off the four walls , he didn't even need to see the mirror opposite him to know that he looks broken. He didn't even bother hiding himself in bathroom stalls . 

Why bother ?

His pride is gone . He lost , he lost in front of many people . Everyone here knew he lost . There's no point hiding . Would Oikawa seem strong for crying publicly ? Such irony baffled him . He couldn't stand it , there was no more reason to keep going . He couldn't even bring his team to the last round , let alone to the Nationals . The overwhelming thoughts took a toll on his physical body too . His knee reminded him how badly he treated himself in all aspects . He slides down the wall , hugging his knee as if that's the only thing he can hold on to .

He felt himself drowning . Drowning in thoughts , in his wails , in his overwhelming physical pain . He can't help himself . He can't reach the top again .

It was as if the water made him deaf to everything around him . He didn't hear the door opening . He didn't felt the sudden breeze of cold air from the stadium entering . He didn't even see the silhouette waltzing around the bathroom .

What he did hear was his name being called out by a familar voice. 

He slowly lift up his head from his knees , almost ready to bring it back down in case it was his old junior that made him like this . All he realised was the eyes that were so close to him . It wasn't an intense gaze he was holding . In fact , those eyes felt like they understand Oikawa well , yet Oikawa felt smaller . He felt almost nervous that he couldn't stare at the person in front of him a little longer .

His eyes ran across the dim room . They stopped at a duffel bag . The person most likely dropped it there . He quickly took notice of the name on the keychain hooked to the zipper . The bag was close enough that he didn't need to squint to read what the keychain said.

Sugawara Koushi.

He swore he have heard the name . His assumptions were confirmed when he saw " Karasuno 2 " on the jersey that the person was wearing . Why was he here ? Is he going to laugh ? Oikawa did not want to think about what the setter squatting in front of him so he decided to put his attention to the bag . 

It was unzipped , interestingly . Almost everything was wide in the open . From volleyball shoes to papers of what seems to be analysis of the teams going against Karasuno , it was all there. One thing stood out the most . Something about that one thing switched something in him . He felt lighter , forgetting all his thoughts from earlier.

" Paci ? " Oikawa pointed at what looks like a pacifier in the bag.

He quickly came to realised his voice was much higher , childlike even before he slapped a hand over his mouth . He felt like crying once again . He turned his head to the other setter again to see if he was going to get laughed at . 

What Sugawara did was surprising .

Sure , Oikawa figured he was caught off guard for a second. Who wouldn't be when the person who nearly tore off arms with a volleyball suddenly sounded like a kid ? He had hoped Sugawara would be mature and not laughed nor tell anyone . It seems like his wish was granted as Sugawara reacted seriously . What Oikawa did not expect was him taking the pacifier and quickly rinsing it before coming back to Oikawa. 

Sugawara looked like he was trying to experiment something as he cautiously brings the pacifier near Oikawa . Oikawa himself didn't knew what happened . He just felt his mouth opening up on its own .

The texture of the pacifier in his mouth felt weird but not wrong . His mind was slowly giving out and he couldn't keep up with what he is doing . He could only keep up with processing the sounds around him . 

That included

" shh baby , don't worry , go to sleep. " 

With that , he shuts down.


	2. piggyback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where sugawara carries oikawa on his back

Sugawara finally released the breathe he was holding in ever since he was in Oikawa's personal circle . He watched in awe as Oikawa's silently suck on the pacifier , the crying was long over . He stood up to stretch and process what just happened

He took a mental note to thank Nishinoya for giving Asahi's unused little stuff to him before the match . It included stuff toys , pacifiers , sippy cups and a coloring book on space . 

Nishinoya did give it to Sugawara as he was the only other person that knows about Asahi's little space and even help babysit him when Nishinoya is unable to. As the main caregiver of Asahi for a long time , he will always be shocked at Sugawara perfect caregiving skills despite Sugawara convincing him that it was his first time .

Nishinoya on the other hand , loves spoiling Asahi in almost everything . Luckily today was the day he finally tries to clear some of the stuff Asahi barely used to Sugawara in case the latter himself found a little . Which he actually did .

Now he has to strategize how to get out of here with Oikawa without anyone finding out. He first quickly texted Daichi to tell Iwaizumi to not worry about Oikawa . He got an "ok" back without questions , and mostly without hesitation . Daichi knew better than to question Sugawara through text , learnt it from experience .

He then proceeded to dress Oikawa in his own Karasuno jacket . Zipping it up , he found that the collar was long enough to hide Oikawa's mouth . He shifted Oikawa position a little so that it looks like he is buried in the jacket . It was amazing , how Oikawa is much taller than Sugawara yet the jacket makes him look smaller . It would be safer physically and mentally for Oikawa if Sugawara decides to carry him from the front . 

Sugawara was well aware of the throbbing knee Oikawa is hugging . He wasn't oblivious to the fact that it was one of the bigger factors Oikawa was crying . Yet he couldn't carry Oikawa like that .It would cause a huge embarrassment to the little when he wakes up . He wasn't as analytical as Kageyama in the court but he was at least able to weigh pros and cons of different method of carrying the big baby .

He decided on a simple piggyback . Since Oikawa was already asleep , he would be much heavier . He whispered some affirmations to himself that he was able to carry him without waking Oikawa up . Easy peasy right ? He first placed Oikawa limp arms around his back shoulder . 

Oikawa's hands instinctively held on to each other . Being this close to Oikawa made Sugawara hear the subtle sound of the pacifier being sucked . Sugawara himself find himself relaxing at the sound as he continues to experiment different areas to hold on to Oikawa . It didn't take long either . One look in the bathroom mirror across them assured Sugawara that nobody that would walk pass them will notice the pacifier . He slowly let go of one of Oikawa's thighs to grab his duffel bag . 

Sugawara was quite a muscular and strong man , Oikawa weight did not put too much of a pressure on him thankfully . So now that Oikawa is on his back , now what ? Should he just bring him to his house ? Pass him to Iwaizumi ? 

The Gods must've heard his distress as he hears the phone ringing . A specific ringtone to tell him that Daichi was calling . It wasn't any special call . Daichi was just updating him that all of Aoba Johsai have left the stadium and is probably on their way back to school without Oikawa . He also reassured that Iwaizumi does not want Oikawa to follow them back at least for today . That he did enough .

Sugawara agreed . The way Oikawa played was enough to prove to everyone that he has great potential to be the best setter in Miyagi prefecture at least. The person on his back is still Oikawa Tooru , still better than Sugawara. That didn't mean he must not take care of himself , or not let anyone take care of him . Sugawara felt a little proud of himself that he gets to take care of him for now .

Sugawara somehow skillfully got out of the stadium without anyone looking at them . There was barely anyone on the route home either . Everyone is busy preparing for the next time they'll play .

Sympathy

Sugawara had a little sympathy for Oikawa as he remembers that the boy is a third year like himself and it was highly likely that the match was his last chance to prove to everyone he was better than them . He didn't plan to talk about it even if Oikawa wakes up big , the goal was to let Oikawa accept himself even while having a child mindset .

Sugawara walked slowly in the direction to his house . God must be on his side that it was only a few minutes walk from the stadium even if he did stroll slower than he usually did . The bakery that just opened near his home seem to be booming in business . It wasn't crowded then , he just noticed that there were already sold out pastries by evening . 

It smelled more like home there than his actual house. He shook his head as he finds himself in front of his house door . He felt sudden dread at the realization that he was already here . He carefully took out the key from his duffel bag , thankful that he still didn't zip it from just now to avoid waking up the still sleeping Oikawa .

Opening the door , he felt goosebumps rising on his body . It was cold inside . Cold and empty . The house interior felt comfortable and warm Sugawara could guarantee that but there was lack of presence . There was nobody to keep him from feeling cold even if the heater was on , even if it was summer . 

He had a small hope the person behind him could be the one to . Platonic or romantic, he couldn't care less . He always crave the warmth of his friends but he had to keep a distance . He didn't want to seem vulnerable when he radiates sunshine and rainbows. He did want someone to hold him tightly .

That someone was Oikawa. He was sure of it. The very Oikawa that was now shifting around and opening his eyes . 


	3. warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where oikawa gives suga the warmth he craves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> long chapter i guess , at least longer than the previous two chapters :D

From what Sugawara can feel on his back , Oikawa was starting to wake up . Slight panic rise as he tries to think what he should do . Should he continue carrying Oikawa , or should he put him down ? If so , does he just put him on the floor , wait how about the sofa ? Is Oikawa even feeling little right now ?

Turns out Oikawa already had something in mind. 

The weight from Sugawara's back started to feel lighter. So as the small giggles coming from Oikawa . Sugawara look down to find Oikawa sitting oh so cutely on the floor , still sucking on the pacifier . The latter's eyes were almost shining brightly . Sugawara smiled fondly at the sight .

Oikawa tilted his head at Sugawara , seemingly confused at who he is but after very careful observation , he let out his opinion vocally , the pacifier threatening to fall from his mouth as he tried his best to speak .

" P..prettwy " 

Sugawara would already let himself faint at the cute , quite loud , voice but he remembers he is responsible for the little Oikawa at least for now . Oikawa made grabby hands ( honestly why is Oikawa the cutest person ever ) to Sugawara . Sugawara figured it's a sign to carry him and that he did . They ( mostly Sugawara ) happily waltz to the living room with Oikawa giggling as the music .

Sugawara put down Oikawa on the sofa with arm rest so that he wouldn't fall down easily. He unzips his Karasuno jacket so that it wouldn't suffocate Oikawa any further . It did the trick , seeing that Oikawa was wailing his arms as if he was finally out of some sort of jail . Sugawara scanned his body and almost scrunched his face in disgust . There were some wet stains here and there on his shirts , possibly from sweat , tears and even snot . He had to change Oikawa in fresh clothing but he wasn't sure that big Oikawa would even be comfortable with that .

Luckily little Oikawa seems to speak for big Oikawa as he removed his shirt and throw it with not so much power on the floor . Sugawara was almost scared because he almost look like he was about to use the same amount of power as he did for his serves . 

It was adorable that Oikawa started blushing a little when he saw that Sugawara stared at the shirt long . Sugawara let himself laughed a little at the blush . He take a hold of both of Oikawa's shoulders , rubbing them a little .

" Hey , i'm going to get clothes for you , can you wait here like a good boy you are hm ? " Sugawara asked really softly , even if nobody was around them. It was almost like a whisper . Oikawa seemed like he wanted to speak so Sugawara took out the pacifier so that Oikawa won't accidentally choke on his words

" Yes ! Mmh mmh ! " He wasn't able to say anything else other than yes ( loudly ) so he nodded his head super fast , resulting in sound effects following up . He didn't want to disappoint this pretty boy .

Sugawara smiled a little , to show Oikawa that he is proud of him . He pat his head and put the pacifier back in Oikawa's mouth before disappearing into one of the rooms . Now , Oikawa really want to be a good boy and stay still but his constant fidgeting is beginning to betray him.

His legs were shaking , the urge to start jumping around was growing every second Sugawara wasn't there . His hands unconsciously start to clap , not loud enough to bother Sugawara from the other rooms . He decided to lean back the sofa , in fear he would fall off from the sofa where Sugawara said to stay . 

Now his body is still adult so when he leaned back , the weight of his body hit the cabinet behind him . The sound triggered him to look at it , seeing if there was something that could hurt him .Oikawa realised that there was a glass vase on the very top of it that looks like it will fall off from the edge any second . He wanted to scream for the man , for permission to move from the sofa yet it felt like the pacifier was restricting him , not known to the fact that Oikawa could simply spit it out if he tried hard enough . 

He watched as the vase spun and shake . And it started to fall . He tried his best to cover himself with his arms and closed his eyes shut with tears waiting to fall .

Everything felt so fast .

So fast that he convinced himself that the vase barely touched him . It was weird , he thought he heard the vase dropping already . Blinking his eyes opens , he slowly uncovers himself to seeing a body in front of him . Their arms were outstretched , a few centimeters above Oikawa head . Oikawa felt safe to completely uncover himself to find Sugawara holding the vase in his hands. He hears Sugawara sighing in relief as he turn around to put the vase on the coffee table nearby . When Sugawara turned back to Oikawa , he was shocked to see Oikawa sniffling , about to cry .

" Honey , don't worry . it's okay , you're okay please don't cry " Sugawara tries to convince him but it was drowned in the loud , full on crying .

The pacifier was already on the floor , the crying was jumbled up with "m sorry 's " and " please don't punish me " . It hurts Sugawra's heart to witness this but it wasn't about Sugawara right now . He had to comfort Oikawa first . Seeing Oikawa was too little to understand and respond to what he was saying , he simply hugged him tightly . It looked a little silly , Sugawara had to kneel down on the carpet to match his height to be able to hug Oikawa sitting down comfortably . Yet the crying soften down to small sniffles . 

Sugawara rubbed Oikawa's bare back , whispering sweet words to help Oikawa get back to his cheerful self . He didn't mind Oikawa sweat sticking onto his shirt , even feeling a little thankful he hasn't change out of his jersey himself yet . He carefully carried Oikawa again , bringing them to the bathroom and placed Oikawa in the dry bathtub. He took off Oikawa knee pads , but left that braces on , scared it would feel foreign to little Oikawa .

Unsure whether to shower Oikawa , Sugawara just wet a clean towel at the sink and start damping it on Oikawa's skin . The crying stopped rather quicker than he thought and was replaced with occasional relaxed sighs and giggles as Sugawara pressed the towel on what seems to be Oikawa's "weak" spots . 

They didn't say anything to each other , they were too absorbed in the affectionate atmosphere . It was therapeutic for both parties . After making sure Oikawa was feeling refreshed , he put on powder on his tummy . Oikawa was surprisingly ticklish seeing how he laughed really loudly when Sugawara's hands brushed across few spots . Oikawa thanked Sugawara with a huge smile and a big hug when Sugawara proudly said " all done!"

He was dressed in a plain black shirt and his Aoba Johsai's shorts which he doesn't seem to complain about . Oikawa straightaway dashed ( at least that's what Sugawara thought he was doing ) out of the bathroom as soon as he was picked up from the bath tub . 

He didn't actually know where he was running , but a tall bar chair caught his eyes . He went at it , attempting to push himself to climb on it . Big Oikawa would be treating it like any other chair but not little Oikawa . It was almost as if he is no match to the chair . Sugawara came to the scene on time to see Oikawa trying to sit funny on the tall chair .

He giggled to himself and rescued Oikawa. Oikawa seems satisfied at the way he was positioned on the chair as he mumbled on the words " lwook m tall now hehee ". Sugawara wanted to roll his eyes jokingly . It was as if fate brought Oikawa to the kitchen , his stomach growled very loudly . Poor Oikawa thought it was a monster and start looking around frantically .

He stopped and look at Sugawara amused face and smiled sheepishly . Sugawara ruffled his hair messily and quickly went into the kitchen . Something from the kitchen went beep before Sugawara makes his appearance to Oikawa again . He took a look at his phone and muttered " 10 minutes " under his breath . Of course , Oikawa didn't understand but he didn't mind not understanding . While waiting for the 10 minutes , Sugawara started asking Oikawa small questions .

" What's the most yummy food ever " " MILKBREAD !"

" Are aliens rea- ? " " OF COURSE ! "

" Dinosaurs " " mm iwa bewieves but not kawa "

Rest in Peace Sugawara Koushi . Cause of death , little Oikawa speaking in third person .

Sugawara decided to get a little serious afterwards .

" How old are you ?" Oikawa didn't respond immediately . It made Sugawara slightly concerned but was a little relief when he saw that Oikawa was thinking . A lot harder than he should be to be honest . He finally replied with a small voice " four " .

The next question made Oikawa think much more harder . 

" Who am I ? "

Except he didn't reply in a small voice again . 

Instead he let out a very loud and confident " PAPA ! " 

To say Sugawara was shocked is an understatement , he was way beyond that . It took the noisy beeping from the kitchen to help him ground himself . _Oh_ he thought _10 minutes is already up_? He checked his phone to confirm it before smiling at Oikawa and get up . He picked up nuggets from the air fryer and prepared warm milk , pouring the hot water in a sippy cup that Nishinoya gave earlier . He brought the plate of nuggets and bottle back to the dining room . His mood went way up higher than it already was before when he saw Oikawa smiling really brightly at the sight of food . 

" say Ahhh " Sugawara immediately say after he on blow a hot nugget . Oikawa obediently reenacted what Sugawara did , opening his mouth super wide . Sugawara did an airplane movement with the nugget , landing it on Oikawa's tounge . He was immediately praised with muffled 'mmm' from Oikawa . This went on until Oikawa ( and Sugawara sneaking some pieces in his own mouth ) finished the nuggets . The milk should already be cooled down so Sugawara assume it was safe for Oikawa to drink .

Sugawara decided to test out the nickname Oikawa gave him . " Papa is going to wash the plates , finish the milk when papa comes back ok ? "

He wasn't sure if Oikawa understood everything but the determine look on the latter's face trusted that Oikawa wouldn't get injured again . He was more than relaxed when he came back to see Oikawa's eyes turning sleepy , probably the side effects of the warm milk . It seemed as if Oikawa was trying to wait for Sugawara before drifting to sleep .

" Papa .. " He whined , his arms wanting to let go of the sippy cup to grab on to Sugawara . 

Sugawara caught on and picked up ( dead lift ) Oikawa so that he can still drink the milk without straining his neck . He waited for awhile for Oikawa's eyes to close fully before he started walking to a bedroom .

It wasn't used much , maybe only when Asanoya come over . That explains how it also has some interiors that would normally appear in a child's room . Sugawara lay Oikawa on the bed , that ironically has aliens from Toy Story plushies and even the bedsheet is space theme . Sugawara looked up for awhile to let himself be amused at the glow in the dark stars sprinkled all over the ceilings . He look down back at Oikawa , gently taking out the sippy cup and replacing it with the pacifier he mysteriously picked up earlier .

He kissed softly on Oikawa's forehead , tummy and left knee where his brace was . He switched the night light near the bed on and off the lights for the room before walking out with the sippy cup in his hand . Looking at it made him reflected what just happen today .

His team won against Aoba Johsai , found Oikawa in the stadium's washroom after their match , gave him a pacifier , carried him home , save him from a vase that nearly dropped on his head , kind of shower Oikawa , learn that Oikawa calls him " papa " making Sugawara his caregiver , let Oikawa sleep on his bed .

Sugawara felt really warm feelings recalling these memories . These very memories with Oikawa

Sugawara then realised that warmth doesn't just come by physical actions like hugging only . It came from Oikawa . 


	4. ? milk bread

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they found each other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yayyy last looong chapter !! 
> 
> also , when you see ^ in the story , you can skip that part until you see it again bc it's basically just a summary of what happened earlier hehe

Oikawa felt comfortable for once . _When was the futon this soft_ he asked himself , shifting around the said " futon " . He was conscious , he think he is . He wasn't dreaming at least , he could feel the different items around him physically . His blanket? A little heavier than usual but no complains , it felt really warm . His pillow ? Like feathers from the angels . His legs were extremely long so it was a little weird that he isn't kicking on something as he stretch around . It didn't bother him too much , maybe he felt productive yesterday and clean .

That thought made him forget about the bedroom situation . That thought made him remember the match yesterday . How badly he cried yesterday in the bathroom . But everything stopped there , he couldn't remember anything afterwards. 

So like any normal human being , Oikawa had to check that he wasn't abducted by aliens and finally opened his eyes . His body was facing the ceiling , his eyes immediately catch sight of the glowing green stars above him . It wasn't the real deal but it made him felt youthful . Speaking of youth , he shifted his view to something closer to him . He was met with a , pacifier ? Why is there a pacifier beside him . _I don't remember reading about Aliens being putting pacifiers in their hostage_? 

Oikawa was very confused .

Everything else looked pretty normal from what the glowing stars let him see . Some interiors looked like they were meant for elementary or even nursery children but nothing that can proof that aliens actually abducted him . He even saw a digital clock across him . **0712 Friday**. 

If it's a Friday , that means he would have an afternoon practice but he remembers Iwa-chan saying that if come to practice , he would get hit . _Mean Iwa-chan_! That also meant that he would be playing against Shiratorizawa soon if it wasn't for those damn crows . He really can't be moping around the whole day though so what ever should he do ? Thoughts were being thought of and because Oikawa was such a Volleyball head he plan to watch the finals for Spring Inter-high between Karasuno and Shiratorizawa . Well he have until 1230 before the game starts , he should at least go back to sleep until 1100 . A beauty needs his sleep right ? 

But where he was sleeping kept from sleeping . Ok , maybe it was his nephew's new room . That could explain the pacifier too , maybe . He did overheard from his mother that his favorite nephew was getting his room renovated . He didn't expect it to be this fast to be completed , neither would Takeru pick a space theme for his bedroom . It didn't matter though , if anything it would make Oikawa feel like he taught Takeru well .

Just to confirm even further , Oikawa stood up from his bed . It was cold , very cold . He look down to see he was wearing a black shirt and his school shorts ? Who in the right state of mind would sleep in their school shorts ? Not even Oikawa was that dumb . But he did felt like he showered yesterday . Very , very weird . He braced himself as he opened the door of the bedroom .

Oops , wrong . That was the closet . 

There was barely anything though . He didn't mind and tried opening the next door he sees . There was some light seeping through underneath so he was so sure that that's the actual door outside . He felt a little dumb for not realising sooner , seeing that door wasn't actually fully closed at all . 

The sudden flash of light made him blind a little . That remind him of glasses that he was not wearing . Yet his vision isn't failing him much than it should be , did he wear contacts to sleep ? What kind of uncle Oikawa is that he slept on Takeru's bed with his school shorts and contact lenses from yesterday . It made him slightly embarrassed but shook it off quickly as soon as he was met with a hallway of bedrooms .

The doors are all open widely , you can see the beds even from where Oikawa is standing . There was two rooms that are closed but he guessed it was the bathroom and closet room . The only source of light there was the hallway but it was more than enough to show that there was nobody sleeping on those beds . Takeru should be going to school by 9 , so Oikawa should at least see his mother walking up and down to prepare Takeru's stuff before he wakes up . How about the kitchen ? 

He got out of the comfort of the bedroom he was in to explore further . As he go down the hallway , he realized there wasn't any pictures of the family . If he think about it , there was no pictures at all . Only some minimalistic artworks here and there . Huge contrast to the bedroom . He finally came out of the long hallway . He knew Takeru renovated his room that meant some other parts of the house would be renewed too but he didn't expect everything to change . 

The feeling of this house didn't even felt like the warmth of Takeru's house . Oikawa observed everything . He came to a realisation that this was not Takeru's house . He doesn't recognize this house at all . It wasn't even any of his teammates house . It wasn't alien-y thank god for that but Oikawa still felt scared . 

Was he kidnapped ? Surely not , a kidnapper would definitely tie him to the bed . Hell , would a kidnapper even give him privilege of a bed . Oikawa slept on a futon for god sake , its a huge privilege ! You could see the living room , the dining room and another door , which Oikawa assumes the front door for the house , from the hallway . So it wasn't really a big house either but even so , it was very spacious . Mentally counting the amount of bedrooms , it didn't even seem like a family of 4-5 lived here , at most only 2 people . It really felt as if there was no presence .

Until there was . Until the door across Oikawa opened . The front door . In comes a boy , maybe around Oikawa age . Or maybe it was a very short , grandfather because of the grey hair . But that possibility was out the window when the boy looked up after taking off his shoes . A pretty boy with a mole under one of his eye . 

Oikawa recognize him .

Recognize him really well from yesterday . But it was only during the match , he couldn't remember his name and still has no idea what the guy is doing in this house . The guy however smiled brightly at Oikawa , despite it being dawn , no hints of threat or rivalry , or any bad intentions behind it . Just pure , genuine ( and very pretty ) smile . For Oikawa and Oikawa only . He was immediately entranced . What an easily whipped guy Oikawa is . The guy himself had to pull Oikawa out from his lalaland .

" Oikawa ? Here , i went out and bought some stuff for you . Also what would you like to drink ? " The tone was very gentle and warm.

Finally Oikawa was out of whatever trance he was . He felt like barely made out alive of a trap .

" M-mr refreshing ? Thank you um " Oikawa bowed suddenly upon hearing that Mr Refreshing bought stuff for him . He didn't get to answer the last question before Mr Refreshing disappeared into the kitchen . 

Oikawa felt the need to follow him in . Mr refreshing was really good at pulling people in with his charisma . When he saw the boy stopped , he came to a halt too . There was a bit of a tension in the kitchen . Oikawa then realised it must've been the nickname he gave to him . His thoughts were corrected as soon as he heard the guy speak.

" Mr Refreshing today ? Hmm okay then " 

Other than that he didn't say anything else , and just like that whatever tension there was just disappeared into thin air . Oikawa was a little lost at why he added _today_ . What he did care was about the guy himself . And Oikawa is back into the trance he was in as he watched the Mr Refreshing almost floating around the kitchen . He seems so gracious and lively in the morning . 

Oikawa had to force himself to get out of the kitchen before he gets caught for staring . Before he could bring a foot out , the guy has already walked out there before him . Faster than the balls that Oikawa serve . He can see the guy waving at him to come over to the dining table and Oikawa did , like a confused puppy .

The guy giggled at the confused puppy and carried on in unpacking the items from the bag he carried earlier . Oikawa divert his gaze from the pretty guy to the contents om dining table . There was food , plenty of them but what caught his sight was 

" MILKBREAD ! " 

" yes , and I'm Sugawara Koushi , Oikawa-san " the guy said immediately after Oikawa , observant exclaim . 

It was as if Sugawara was playfully saying _That was so obvious Oikawa_ ! Right his name is Sugawara Koushi . Not that Oikawa didn't know , Mr Refreshing was a better nickname hmph . But nevermind Mr Refreshing and his home , the milkbread he bought was much more enchanting. Oikawa was basically making love hearts at the packaging while Sugawara rolled his eyes jokingly .

Sugawara pushed the milkbread towards Oikawa and without hesitation , Oikawa was already swallowing down the whole package . He was hungry okay ? Let the man eat his milk bread . It tasted so good , if not the best milk bread he had ever eaten . And he ate a lot of milk breads . Of course Oikawa had to drown Sugawara , who wasn't even the one that baked it and was eating a cinnamon roll himself , in compliments about how the milk bread tastes in his mouth . He even went as far as offering some to Sugawara , which thankfully declined because that means more for Oikawa . And wow , was Oikawa satisfied .

“ This is 100 % the best milk bread ever , where did you get this ? " He really had to ask before he forgets about it . 

" Ah , its from the new bakery across my house . I think its called The Milk Bar ” Sugawara said softly in contrast to Oikawa's booming excitement

Oikawa remembered his underclassmen talking about going there after the match since it was near the stadium they played in . So where they are is near the stadium where the finals are playing . Great ! Oikawa can sleep a little longer ! It's still blinding 7am .

" So , you're not somehow curious on why or how you're here ? " Sugawara just had to come in when he was daydreaming about sleeping already .

Oikawa had to admit he was very very curious but all his energy was used up to compliment the milk bread .

“ Eh , I think I will listen when I wake up again ”

“ That'll have you waiting till after the match then since i have to get out at eight to warm up ” 

Oikawa really didn't mind but was he willing to wait until 3pm just to be able to hear why he was here . For all he knows , he could've accidentally hook up with him ! But that's kind of out the list because if he was hooking up , he would've wake up on one of those empty beds and not a bed with a space theme bedsheet .

Sighing , sleeping can wait a little . 

" Oh all right Mr Refreshing , enlighten me a little about what happened yesterday . I seriously couldn't even remember what happened since I went to the bathroom after the match yesterday . But but but! Make it short , I still want my nap "

Sugawara jaw slightly dropped , his mouth subtly going " oh " at this piece of information . He quickly recovered and smile at Oikawa . _ah , that beautiful smile again_.

**^**

“ So for starters , I found you in that bathroom alone and you were so out of it that I had to get Daichi to tell Iwaizumi that you are safe with me . I carried you on my back to my home because Iwaizumi said the bus taking Aoba Johsai had already left and - "

Oikawa silently cursed Iwa-chan for this .

" - Here we are in my home . I figured you wouldn't remember anything about being in here but I didn't expect you not remembering me from the bathroom at least . And um , in the bathroom .. ” Sugawara hesitated , Oikawa observed . Was what he was about to say something hard to explain ? 

“ you were interested in the pacifier in my bag so I gave it to you ... Even at home here , you even called me papa , not mr refreshing .. "

**^**

What Oikawa heard next immediately woke him up from everything .

" Oikawa , you're a little , an age regressor . Your little self told me to be your caregiver " 

Oikawa never heard of those terms but he made sense out of it . 

“ Wait wait wait a second , you're telling me , I went in the mind set of a child and you take care of me ? And I CALLED YOU PAPA ? "

Sugawara looked so patient and calm as he nodded slowly , it almost made Oikawa guilty for using quite a harsh and loud tone at the last part . He wasn't angry , just caught off guard . Being what Sugawara called a " little " made him felt a little different . Not in a bad way either , just foreign . He somehow wanted to make this a secret between the both of them . Not because it was embarrassing , it just felt right like that .

" Nobody knows right ? That's why nobody is here right ? Wait , do you live alone ? " Oikawa was already shooting many questions , none seemingly about the information given just now .

Sugawara sighed . He knew better than to go around Oikawa , he knew that he was very persistent with what he wants . 

“ Yes I live alone , my whole family moved without me , without me knowing when i was young . And no , I don't have to worry about rent . The landlord told me that the previous owners paid fully for me because of my pitiful family . I forgot their faces , but I at least remembered I have one father , one mother and an elder brother who was at least 10 years older than me .

And no , nobody else except me know about you age regressing unless you told someone too ? "

Oikawa shook his head , none of his friends mentioned him being a little . At most he gets is that he acts like a child , or that he is immature and those times was when he make sure he is those traits . He felt hurt for Sugawara , the guy who seems to be always smiling , facing such hard reality . To be sitting alone in this cold ' home ' .

" You are , Very strong , Mr Refreshing " Oikawa said in a normal voice range for the first time .

Sugawara eyes can't help but dazzled even if the rest of his face remains neutral . Oikawa stood up and thanked Sugawara for the food once again before he walked to the bed room he woke up in . He lay on the bed and stared at the clock opposite of him . _0741 What a rush this morning has been ._ Oikawa closed his eyes , ready to mentally reflect on everything he had just heard , his ears not failing to hear the door of the room closing gently . 

With a soft “ We'll figure it out ” from the door , he was out instantly .

While asleep , his memories were rushing right before his eyes . It was as if he went back in time . Memories of almost getting hit by a vase , being carried on Sugawara's back pretending to be asleep , being fed nuggets . All these memories made his nap time worth . Maybe it was the change of mattress and pillow that's so soft , that made him have that pleasing dream .

Time went on fast . Oikawa opened his eyes , his body telling him that its the time to wake up . His body is right , it's already 1058 , and he needed to be out of this house by at least 1130 so he can get the best seats later . The sun was taking over the glow in the stars role , letting Oikawa see everything in his room . First , he noticed his bag from yesterday at his feet on the other side of the bed . There was note on top of it saying

> **Iwaizumi came by earlier to give your bag , and no he didn't see you in here . Your secret is still safe with me !**
> 
> **♡ suga ~**

Seeing a note hand written for him made him smile , even if he gets them everyday due to his fangirls but this felt like a mom giving her children their lunchboxes before going to school . He looked around a little more to see if Sugawara left anything for him . His eyes stopped at the closet door . From what he could see , there's also a note sticking on a clothes set . He walked up to it , grabbing the hanger of clothes . It read

> **You can wear this as a disguise for coming to our game later :P feel free to use the bathroom and anything in it , (the only room beside yours ) spare toothbrush is behind the mirror**
> 
> **♡ suga ~**

Seriously , when did sugawara even get the time to write and plan all of this . The thought of Sugawara running around to write and grab stuff for Oikawa made him warm a little. He really did felt like a child . Looking down at the set of clothes , he was impressed that Sugawara had a good sense of fashion . He put the note with the previous one before going out to find the toilet . It was easy .

The bathroom interior seemed normal overall , but the scent of it was what really made Oikawa felt soft . The smell of vanilla and other warming feeling you can think of really lighten the mood for a bathroom . There was a towel folded on the toilet seat , he assumed that it was for him . He took off his contact lenses and put it on the sink , not wanting to dirty the already emptied dustbin underneath it .

He got in the bath tub , observing that it had enough space for him to sit down comfortably but he needed to hurry up . He took whatever basic necessities he can find first from the shelves near the bathtub . 

He felt so refreshed . And he smelled really good at that too . He hoped that this change of scent wouldn't attract girls . He wore the clothes Sugawara provided and it fit him just nice . It almost made him think of the possibility Sugawara did custom made . The materials all felt nice on him , and it wasn't suffocating hot too . Honestly he was just glad to be out of his school shorts . The only thing he had to wear on his own was his boxers which he understood . There was no way would he wear Sugawara's boxers even after trusting him to take care of him yesterday . They were only intimate for one day and Oikawa still have trust issues .

He grabbed the used contact lenses and threw it in the next bin he could see , which was in the room he slept in . He was luckily able to find his glasses in his bag without needing those annoying lenses . He went back to the bathroom to brush his teeth and what not and grab his sleep wear to his room . Checking the time , it was _1116_. 

Oikawa almost saw the lucky angel number . Maybe next time . Out of courtesy , he did the best he can to tidy the bed and left the room with just his phone and wallet . He didn't need much things , he will come back and grab it after the match . 

At the dining table, there was food and a note on top of a pair of keys . 

> **This is the last note ! There are other two notes if you didn't know but yea ! Eat up before going also take these keys and lock the door on your way out pls .**
> 
> **♡ suga ~**

The food looked good and healthy even . It didn't look home cooked but it was enough that Sugawara had to go all these trouble to prepare all these just for Oikawa. Is that what it's like to feel cared for ? Oikawa's parents barely did something like this , they leave early , come home late . They don't even make it to his games once . Those memories aside , he practically inhaled the food . Since he has a few minutes before he plan to leave , he washed the empty plates and covered those that could be eaten later on the dining table . 

He felt proud for not forgetting the keys and finding his shoes almost instantly . He went out right on time and pride himself for it . Sugawara was right , a bakery named The Milk Bar is literally across his house . 

The walk to the stadium was simply delightful and refreshing . Was today Oikawa's lucky day ? Not at all because he didn't get to play against Shiratorizawa >:( 

The stadium was fairly crowded but he fortunately got in without any fangirls catching him here . The headlines would be embarrassing . " Star Setter Oikawa Tooru caught watching Karasuno and Shiratorizawa , in which he lost to both previously , game in the finals of Spring Inter-high ! " 

He was in time to see Karasuno warming up . His eyes roamed around the court , not seeing Shiratorizawa on the court yet .

" Ah , so you are here " 

Oikawa yelped and jumped at the surprised attack . Iwaizumi didn't even flinch as he step over the seat and sat beside Oikawa , leaving a seat gap .They observed closely how Karasuno is doing , secretly hoping that they would avenge for them and beat Shiratorizawa . 

It wasn't long until Shiratorizawa came in and soon the game started . _ah shit_ Oikawa thought , he remembered he forgot to tell Sugawara about Ushijima's number one strength : the left hand . Oh well , Karasuno can suffer for all he cares . He just want to see one of the teams to cry . Though he felt bad . The score was now 3 - 0 . It made Oikawa lost all hope for Karasuno frankly . _Sorry Papa ._ Wait was he really thinking about calling Sugawara ' papa ' right now ? Maybe his mind is just messing around with him . He ignored it and looked at Karasuno . He wanted to catch Sugawara's attention but instead Sugawara caught his .

" Calm down! There’s no time to self-destruct! What the hell are you so nervous about?! The tv crews?! Quit messing around ! " He yelled harshly at his teammates from the sidelines , his face all disappointed and angry .

And oh Oikawa does not want to be the one receiving that type of shouting , Iwa-chan's strong hits are already bad enough . It made something in him cower . But miraculously the team let loose a little . The game ended in a flash , even if some moments felt like they were caught in slow-mo . He even get to see Sugawara setting to Kageyama . 

It felt , satisfying .

Oikawa felt pride for having Sugawara , who's helping with the scores , his little self caregiver . He hasn't fully digest the information but he could feel himself being happy at it . He felt slightly happy that Sugawara's team won . But of course , he is still petty Oikawa so he directed Iwa - chan out so that he wouldn't see awards being presented and the declaration that Karasuno is going to Nationals and not Aoba Johsai .

On the way out of the playing court , he looked at the restroom he ran Sugawara into just the day before . He called out to Iwaizumi to ask him to go home first and that he'll catch up with him on the weekends . 

Iwaizumi reluctantly left with a scowl saying _i swear if you start fights with any of the teams_ and with that he was gone . Oikawa had no plans to stay there long either , he just wanted to make a joke to himself that that was the place him and Sugawara became so close . 

He looked at the mirror where he faced himself . He was reminded of the ugly cries he let out yesterday . He looked at the sink where he remembers Sugawara washing the pacifier . He laughed softly before exiting . He left with intention of grabbing the milk breads from the milk bar .

Hard decision. Very very hard decision . There was different type of breads in this very bakery and all of them excites him and is pulling him to buy them . Unfortunately he had to succumb to the world of capitalism and limited budget . And also not let himself to enter the world of greed . 

A soft tap landed on his shoulder . He turned around hoping it wasn't his fan girls or Kageyama . Or even one of his teammates . He was blessed with the view of a certain grey hair , Sugawara . He smiled at the sight and was greeted back with one of Sugawara's iconic wide smile .

" Hey hey Mr Refreshing ! Help me choose a milk bread please ! " Oikawa semi - begged .

Sugawara giggled and recommended some . Oikawa wasn't the type of person to have a sweet tooth but unfortunately this place existed . They came out of the store with both of them holding two bags of different type of breads and other pastries . Sugawara looked like he was gonna say goodbye and part ways but Oikawa held his wrist .

" Um " Oikawa stuttered . " your keys ! Yea your keys here . " He pushed the set of keys on Sugawara hands . Sugawara was a little off guard at the exclamation and before he could say anything about it , Oikawa continued rambling .

" Can , can you help me, figure out about all this little stuff "

He paused for awhile . " During your match , in my mind , I actually did call you papa . I wanted to hide myself when you screamed in the first set - " he stopped to listen to Sugawara giggling at that . 

It was music to his ears . It was relaxing . Oikawa took one deep breath before continuing , the world supporting him as there's barely anyone around them. 

" What I'm saying is , can you help me , take care of me . Help find ways to be happy with you like yesterday . Help me find where this caregiver - little relationship will lead to . I don't know why , but I want you and just you to help . I don't know if that sounds selfish but - " Oikawa's ranting was cut off by a tight but comfortable hug along with a string of shh's from Sugawara . 

Oikawa relaxed as he look down to stroke his hair . Sugawara looked up at Oikawa too , his eyes being easy to look at , his smile giving the feeling that everything will be okay . 

" I told you earlier , we'll figure it out together . And also keep these keys , it's for you . Let's go home kawa . " 

His little self immediately showed up like he was summoned by the nickname . Oikawa felt like tearing up , happily . He finally felt somebody he would be comfortable being vulnerable with . Meanwhile Sugawara found someone that was able to be affectionate with . These two found each other . They found their hands linking , Sugawara leading his little's way . They both couldn't be any more fortunate with each other .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @98lov on twitter , see u there . 
> 
> we made it to the end of " space " , please leave comments about anything uwa  
> ◜‿◝ lov u ..  
> thinking of making a collection on their " journey " but this is it for now


End file.
